“Remember when you dinged your 1960s/‘70s car that was made out of enough steel to double as a Leopard tank?” asks Ray Sparvell. They just don’t make ‘em like they used to! That includes many cars and most equipment and appliances we use today. Sometimes it’s more cost-effective to replace rather than repair!
However, the plumbing professionals at Bradbury Brothers often find appliance or equipment failure isn’t due to shoddy manufacturing or reduced quality control. Hard water problems can wreak havoc on your plumbing fixtures, and hard-water-problem-related expenses can run as high as $800/year.
The Wrong Kind of Deposits
You won’t get rich if mineral deposits are damaging your appliances. Quite the opposite! Here’s information about how hard water problems can lower the lifespan of home plumbing equipment:
| APPLIANCE | AVERAGE LIFESPAN | HARD WATER LIFESPAN |
|---|---|---|
| Dishwasher | 10 | 7 |
| Faucets | 9 | 5.4 |
| Washing machine | 11 | 7.7 |
The most dramatic damage from hard water problems affects toilets; if the average toilet lifespan is 6 or 7 years, hard water problems can reduce its lifespan to as little as two years! And none of us can afford to spend more on detergents because of hard-water reduced efficiency: With softened water, you can lower detergent use by as much as 50% in washing machines and 70% in dishwashers. (People spend as much as $600 per year on laundry detergent. –SmartKlean)
Energy Efficiency = $avings
Heating your home’s water is the energy-use runner-up (18%), with heating your home’s air the front-runner. HVAC (heating, cooling, air conditioning) accounts for 42% of your energy costs. So in addition to HVAC energy efficiency, you want your water heater to operate safely as long as possible!
We recommend soft water and an annual water heater flushing to extend the lifespan of this appliance while maximizing energy efficiency. And it doesn’t matter if you have a gas, electric, or tankless water heater; hard water problems will eventually impact this appliance’s performance.
Researchers found that when they used softened water . . . the (water heater) units maintained their original factory efficiency rating for as long as 15 years. –Water Quality Association
Call 281-661-4283, 936-756-5472 today to learn more about hard water problems that may be affecting your property.
